Organochlorine pesticides have been used heavily in the U.S. to combat a variety of insect pests. Pesticides have contaminated soils throughout chemical production facilities and from the disposal of container and spray equipment rinsewaters. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has banned most organochlorine pesticides, but not before millions of tons of the pesticides had been used in various applications across the United States. Most organochlorine pesticides are acutely toxic and mutagenic and carcinogenic under certain conditions. They have been found to be accumulated by animals and plants and are persistent in the environment under normal conditions. For example, the half-life of the organochlorine pesticide toxaphene has been estimated at 11-20 years.
Thus, organochlorine pesticides represent a serious threat to the environment and there is clearly a need for innovative technologies for the in-situ remediation of organochlorine pesticide-contaminated soils.
Excavation and incineration are remedial strategies which have been used because of the complete destruction of the contaminant and liability in a short period of time. However, they are costly and cause secondary pollution. In-situ and ex-situ chemical treatments involving oxidants, reductants, and alkalis have also been used with varying degrees of success at sites contaminated with organochlorine pesticides.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of remediating soil contaminated with organochlorine pesticides. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of remediating the contaminated soil which is more cost effective than the existing methods.